My Number 1 Fan
by Zio Uchiha
Summary: Tai is in the national soccer final, and more than anything wants Sora to be in the stands cheering him on. But what will happen when she bails on the game to be with Matt? Will Mimi be able to find a way to stop Tai from choking in the biggest game of his career by filling the stands and the hole in his heart? Rated T for language. Michi, Sorato. Please drop a review!
1. Chapter 1

_Yo. I know I'm supposed to be working on Walking Alone or even more importantly studying for my last two finals but screw it. I'm feeling the urge to write. And I actually got a request for a Michi. As odd as that is, I actually am going to do it. Now, I know some people are going to flip and say but you're a Mimato and Taiora fan, how can you do this? Well, in all honesty I find that it's easiest to write Mimi and Tai individually so why not try together. Anyways, enough for the long as hell authors note. WARNING! I'm turning my language filter off for this one! If you're easily offended by crude language go back now._

_Disclaimer: Normally, this would be where I give a big old fuck you to Toei for giving the world Sorato. But this time, I want to thank him. Toei owns Digimon not me. That's why I'm writing a Michi._

Ch.1: The Pleasant Surprise

Tai's POV

It is my senior year. I'm finally the team captain of the school soccer team and we are the best team around. We've been good every year that I've been here mostly because of me. Unfortunately, just having me hasn't been enough. We got to the national semi-finals last year but lost on penalties despite my hat trick. This year though we are phenomenal. The addition of Davis and Ken to the team put us over the top. We are absolutely dominant.

Davis and I are forwards, while Ken plays center mid. Last year, teams would double me. If they do that this year though, it leaves Davis free and he's almost as good as me. Combine that with how well Ken sets us both up and we have an unstoppable three-headed juggernaut on offense. It is no wonder that we have the most goals scored in all of Japan.

Our dominant offense is the reason we are where we are right now. Tomorrow night, we will be playing for the high school championship for all of Japan. We won our last game 3-1. I scored a goal and Davis had two. Ken assisted Davis on both of his scores. It felt really damn good to beat the team we beat, seeing as they were the team who knocked us out last year.

Suddenly, someone broke my reverie about that painful game.

"Good luck tomorrow Tai!" Says a girl with black hair.

"Thanks! It means a lot!" I reply with a smile.

Was it bad for me not to know her name? After all, she was constantly being nice to me. Oh well, I'll give her a chance sometime. Maybe, if I go on a date or two with her, Sora will get jealous!

Immediately, after thinking that I scold myself. Even if it is my deepest desire to be with Sora, I have to accept the fact that she chose Matt. On top of that it would hardly be fair to this girl to use her just to make Sora jealous.

"Yo Tai! Over here!" I hear Davis yell.

"Coming!" I yell back.

Despite being a freshman, Davis is one of the most popular kids at school. At first, that was a weird concept for me to comprehend. Then, I brought it up with Izzy once who gave me a great rundown.

_Flashback_

"Hey, Izzy was I as popular as Davis is when I was a freshman?"

"Ummm I don't know Tai."

"Oh come on Izzy, I won't get mad or anything."

"No, I mean I really don't know. I was still in 8th grade when you were a freshman. Mimi and I are a year younger than you, Matt, and Sora. Remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"I do see where you're coming from though. I guess it has something to do with him being a Digidestined, a good soccer player, and also his personality. His confidence probably attracts a lot of people."

_End Flashback_

That's probably why it is no surprise that I had to get through a crowd to get to him. As I reach him give him a friendly whack on the head.

"You called for me?" I ask.

"Ow! Son of a bitch Tai, that hurt like hell!" He replies rubbing his head.

"Oh suck it up you bitch!" I tease.

"So what'd you need me for?"

"Oh yeah. Have you visited Matt yet?" He asks suddenly sounding serious.

"Yeah, I have." I reply.

"How's he doing?"

"Not too well. He has a broken arm, a shit-ton of cuts and bruises, and like three broken ribs."

"Damn. I hope he gets out soon." Davis says more to himself than to me.

"I hate to tell you, but he can't leave until Sunday. Doctor's orders."

"Wait, but Tai the big game is tomorrow." Davis says with disappointment lacing his words.

"Yeah, I know. Matt tried to argue with the doc in front of me but the old guy wouldn't budge. Also, I told him not to push himself. I don't want him to get worse just so he can come support us." I try making Davis understand.

"Yeah that makes sense but it is nice to have everyone come and support us."

"For sure. Matt was really pissed. Good thing Sora was there to calm him down about it."

"Oh yeah speaking of her, is she going to come? Or is she going to give Matt some company?"

My stomach did a flip at his question. If I could have any one person come and support me at tomorrow's game it would be Sora. I would trade the whole damn crowd for her alone. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure if she would come. Although, I knew Matt would tell her to go to the game I could definitely see Sora just sticking with him.

Sensing my uncertainty, Davis speaks up trying to change the subject.

"Hey don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll come. By the way did you know Mimi is coming from America today just so she can watch the game tomorrow?"

"Really?" I ask in surprise.

Sure, Mimi always supported every Digidestined in what they do but, it was still surprising that she was coming all the way here just for this one game. I couldn't help but have my mood lifted though. She was going through all this trouble just to come and watch me. Or rather us I correct myself. Nah it sounds better when I tell myself that she's coming for me.

"Yeah! I could hardly believe it too" I hear Davis yap excitedly.

"Do you know what time she's getting here?"

"I think she landed 45 minutes ago. Yolei left Physics early to go pick her up."

"Awesome! Thanks Davis!" I say with a genuine smile.

I start walking away and pull out my cell phone. A simple text would be a good way to start things off I decide.

"Hey! Tai where are you going?" Davis yells.

I decide to just ignore him and keep walking. I quickly punch out a message to Mimi and hit send. It read:

Hey Meems. I hear you wanted to see some sexy soccer player named Tai Kamiya. Luckily for you, I happen to know him.

I return my phone to my pocket but keep my hand around it. For some reason, I feel anxious. I really want her to reply soon. In typical Mimi fashion the reply I was waiting for came almost immediately. I pull out my phone and check the message. It read:

Well, I did come back to watch a sexy soccer player. But his name is Davis Motomiya. ;) But yeah I guess you can introduce me to your friend too. When's he free?

Smiling, I decide to call Yolei. Then, I see Ken standing by his locker getting a book.

"Oi, Ken! Can I borrow your phone for a second?" I ask from across the hallway.

"Sure, is everything all right?" He asks with concern.

"Yeah, I just need to make a quick call."

"Oh ok. Here you go." He says politely as he hands me his phone.

I quickly find Yolei's number and hit call.

"KEEEN! How are you?" She nearly screams into the phone.

"Oh sorry to disappoint but this is Tai."

"Oh, what the hell do you want? And why are you using Ken's phone?"

"Well, I figured you'd pick up for him right away. And I'm calling because Mr. Fujiyama thinks you're skipping class. So you have to get back to school right away!" I lie easily.

"WHAT? No way. My parents called in and excused me so I could pick up Mimi." She says with conviction.

"Well then, there's some sort of mix-up. All I know is that you need to hurry back and sort things out."

"Fine I'm coming, but what should I do with Mimi?"

"Uh where are you two? I'll come pick her up."

"We're at that café by the Ferris Wheel. You know that one that Sora and Matt always go to?"

"Uh yeah, I know that one." I say trying to cover my irritation at her description. It was almost as if she was trying to poke with a sharp needle. "I'll be there in 10 minutes ok?"

"All right." She replies before hanging up.

"Thanks Ken!" I say hurriedly while handing him his phone. Then, I ran as fast as I could to my car. On my way there, I saw Yolei speeding back to school. I felt a small pang of guilt but then I remembered the café description.

I park hurriedly and look through the glass window, I see one of the prettiest girls I've ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. Through that glass sat the bored but gorgeous Mimi Tachikawa.

_Hey I hope you all liked it. Please drop a review. I'll do my best to update this quickly. I don't see this being more than 5 chapters though. Anyways, again please drop a review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_HELL YEAH! I'm done with finals! Anyways as promised here's a new chapter._

_Disclaimer: I owned finals but Digimon belongs to Toei._

Catching Up

Tai's POV

For some odd reason I totally froze up when I looked at her. I was completely mesmerized. She was wearing a pure white dress and looked like a true angel. I watched as she sipped on her tea. Then some weird waiter came and started talking to her. I suddenly felt angry. Why the hell was he talking to her?

Furious I step inside ready to wring the guy's throat out. Suddenly a voice in my head told me to stop. What the hell was wrong with me? First off, the guy was probably just asking her if she needed something and second even if he was flirting with her why would I care?

I just needed to take a minute and calm down. Unfortunately, I didn't even get five seconds before I heard someone call my name.

"Tai! Over here!" Mimi said loudly half-rising from her seat and waving to me.

"Hey Meems!" I reply enthusiastically. As I reached the table I gave her a big hug. When I finally registered what I did, I turned red and quickly said:

"I missed you."

At this point I saw how red she was. Now that I considered it, this was the first hug I'd ever given her. I always used to give hugs to Sora but never once did I give one to Mimi. I felt a twinge of guilt and even a little irritation towards myself.

I felt bad for not giving Mimi any hugs before this one. But even more than that, I felt bad for giving so many to Sora. What a waste those were I thought to myself.

"I missed you too Tai! I didn't get a chance to see you the last time I was here." She says regretfully.

"Oh yeah sorry, about that I was up in Kyoto for a soccer camp."

"Oh, is that where you met that really sexy soccer player?" She teases.

"Hahaha yeah it was actually. I'll introduce you guys tomorrow." I say with a laugh.

"I look forward to it. By the way make sure you apologize to Yolei for what you did."

I look at her incredulously.

"H-h-how did you know" I stutter.

"Well, it was kind of simple. Mr. Fujiyama was our teacher in middle school. He doesn't teach at the high school. Also, it is definitely something that you would do." She explains.

"Yeah hopefully Ken is able to calm her down so that she doesn't try and kill me until after the game tomorrow." I try joking.

"Is soccer the only thing that goes through your mind? No wonder Sora picked Matt!" She says teasingly.

"Wait, what? Are you saying that Sora picked Matt over me because I like soccer? What about his stupid band? This is such-"

"Relax Tai, I just wanted to see if you still liked her." She cuts me off.

"Huh? Why does it matter?" I ask irritated.

"Well, rumor has it that you're gay." She says with a smile.

I could not tell whether or not she was being serious. Sure she was smiling but it looked like a genuine smile. She even reached across the table and grabbed my hand.

"Look Tai, it's OK. I know plenty of people back in America like that. Like do you remember Michael? He came out of the closet a few weeks ago. Hey! Maybe I can introduce you two!" She says with that same smile.

"MIMI! I'm not gay! Who told you that?"

"Oh relax, I was just kidding. But seriously you got pretty upset just now. Are you sure you're not hiding something?" She continues to tease.

"Yeah Mimi, I'm sure. But out of curiosity why did you want to know whether I still liked Sora?"

"Hmmm, well she told me what happened at Matt's concert. Then, just a few days ago she mentioned something about how you stopped hanging out with everyone so much. When I asked her if you had a girlfriend she said that you didn't. I was wondering if all those things were related."

"Wait what does not hanging out with everyone have to do with Sora?" I ask confused.

"Well, we always stick together don't we? Being where everyone else is means that you'll be where Sora is. If you still have feelings for her it must be tough to be around her. Not to mention, you're excuses to not hang with everyone are plain awful." She answers.

"What do you mean plain awful?" I ask offended.

"Why would you go to a soccer camp in Kyoto during winter?"

"Oh, you mean that. Well uh it was an indoor camp." I try covering.

"Sora's dad works in Kyoto remember? He told Sora and I that there were no soccer camps going on in the first place and even if there were it wouldn't be possible to play in the snow."

"All right you got me. You were staying with Sora and I didn't want to be around her. Happy?"

"Not until you apologize properly Tai." She says with a pouting face.

"All right, all right. I'm sorry Mimi but I didn't ditch you this time did I?" I try pleading my case.

"No, you didn't. That's why you can have one of my sandwiches." She hands me a sandwich, which the waiter just brought out.

"Oh thank God! I skipped breakfast! You're a life saver Mimi!"

I took one bit of and felt like puking. It was awful. There were like vegetables in it. I didn't eat that stuff. What was I- a cow?

Mimi probably saw the look on my face and asked:

"Don't you like it? It's my favorite!"

"Uh Mimi, there's nothing but veggies in it."

"Yeah that's what makes it healthy! You have a big game tomorrow! You need to eat right so that you play well!"

"Uh it's ok. Agumon loves this kind of stuff, I'll give him the rest." I quickly lie.

There was no way I could ever do something so cruel to Agumon. I wouldn't feed this shit to a Digimon like Myotismon let alone my own partner.

"Oh well that's very considerate of you! You've really grown up Tai."

"Uh thanks Meems, you have too!"

Indeed she had. She was still shorter than me but she had definitely grown. I couldn't see her whole body because she was sitting down. But the parts I could see were definitely easy on my eyes. She was very well endowed. Not to mention, her face had definitely matured into that of a young woman's. Her features were very well defined. Her brown hair was beyond shoulder length and its soft brown color was very calming to look at. Then her big brown eyes. I honestly could get lost in them for a whole day and be content.

OK, I really had to stop thinking like that. She's my friend and I don't want to ruin that. She didn't come around often so I had to spend the little time I did have with her well. I couldn't make it awkward by trying to get it into my head that we were meant together. I convinced myself of the same thing about Sora and look how that turned out. Anyways, I had to do something nice for Mimi. Why not pay the bill?

I reach into my pocket for my wallet only to remember that I left it at home. Shit. I couldn't just tell her that I left my wallet at home. I would get lectured for being irresponsible. Suddenly an idea struck me.

"Hey Mimi, now that we're done eating want to head back to my place? You can meet up with Kari and I can call her and tell her to bring Yolei along."

"Sounds like a plan!" Mimi says excitedly.

"Awesome! Here let me go pull up the car. Just come out when you see me!"

"All right sure."

Perfect, she doesn't suspect anything yet! I casually get up and walk towards the door. I manage to get outside. I walk past the glass window and give her a smile and wave, which she happily returns. As soon as I get past that window I break out into a rain. I begin to count down 3…2…1… BAM.

"TAICHI KAMIYA! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME TO PAY THE CHECK!" I hear her scream from all the way in the parking lot across the street. "WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

I begin to chuckle to myself. Oh Mimi, it was good to have you back.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon._

Chapter 3: The Start of Something?

Tai's POV

As soon as I pull up to the café, Mimi opens the door and starts attacking me.

"How dare you make me pay? Tai, you are a piece of shit! I thought you had finally become a gentleman and decided to be nice and bring the car up here as a favor to me! But no! I should have known that your cheap-ass was just ducking out on the bill!" She yells at me.

"Ow Mimi! I can explain!" I say while trying to dodge her purse, which she was swinging in the direction of my head. "I was just trying to save some money so that I can get flowers for Matt!"

Suddenly she stopped. Her demeanor totally changed from unrelenting aggression to uncontrollable curiosity.

"Matt? Tai, I thought you said you weren't gay. And by the way he has a girlfriend so, I don't think he even flies that way. Or wait, is Sora just a cover-up?" She asks absolutely horrified.

Secretly, I wish Sora was just a cover-up and Matt was really gay. That way he had to come out eventually which meant that Sora would be all mine. No! I had to stop thinking like that. She picked Matt. That was it. It was over and I had to stop living in a world of ifs.

"Mimi" I sigh. "I already told you I'm not gay. And from what I know Matt isn't either which means that Sora isn't a cover-up. Also, the reason I'm buying him flowers is because he was in that motorcycle accident. Didn't you hear?"

"Motorcycle accident?" She asks with concern. "No, I didn't. What happened? Is he all right?"

"Yeah some dumbass ran a red when Matt was crossing the intersection. He didn't see Matt until the last second and tried avoiding him but couldn't. He hit the back of Matt's bike and Matt flew off of it into a light pole." I reply.

"Oh my God! Where is he?" Mimi demands.

"At the hospital." I answer.

"We're going there." She says.

"Are you asking me or-"

"I'm telling you to go and no excuses." She says dangerously cutting me off.

"All right. Let's just get some flowers first ok?"

"Sounds like a plan!" She replies excitedly.

After about 10 minutes we arrive at the flower shop. Mimi runs inside excitedly and starts to put together a bouquet for Matt. With a pang I remembered that I left my wallet home. Shit. Although, it looked like Mimi was paying for the bouquet she was putting together.

Maybe, I could dig something out of my car. That way, I could at least get something for her. While she was busy putting the bouquet together I ran to my car and started looking underneath the seats. I found a few loose bills but there was no way I could get a bouquet.

Dejected, I walk back into the shop when I hear someone calling my name.

"Tai! Over here!"

I turn around and see an employee of the shop waving to me. Normally, I would be freaked out that some random employee somewhere knew my name but as soon as I saw her I broke into a big smile. It was my old friend Akira. She used to be on my summer soccer teams back in middle school.

"Hey, Akira. How are you doing?" I ask before I give her a big hug.

"Ow stop you're squeezing too hard." She manages to choke out.

"Oh I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's no big deal." She replies quickly.

"I didn't know you worked here. When did you start?" I ask curiously.

"Just last week actually. My friend got me the job." She explains.

"Wow congrats, I always imagined you working in something outdoors like gardening." I say to her.

"Yeah, it's a lot of fun. But, look at you. You're doing what you love too. Big soccer game tomorrow right? You're going to go up against Takuya right?"

"Yeah it's tomorrow and yeah I'm going to kick his ass for sure! You should come watch!"

"If I don't have work, I'll definitely come watch. After all it isn't every day that I can see the biggest soccer rivalry in Japan." She replies with a smile. "By the way, your girlfriend was looking for you. She asked me if I had seen someone with big crazy brown hair."

"Oh we aren't going out, we are just friends. We're getting flowers for someone in the hospital." I explain.

"Ohhh gotcha!" She says. "But Tai, you should still get her some flowers."

"Well, I would but I forgot my wallet at home."

"Oh my God! Tai you're awful at excuses! It's totally obvious that you like her and you're just too shy to do anything about it!"

"How would you know? You haven't even seen us together!" I fire back.

"Oh please, I saw you two walk in together. And I saw the way you were looking at her when she started to get the bouquet together."

"Well, it doesn't matter because I actually don't have any cash. I really did leave my wallet at home."

"Oh. Well in that case, this one's on the house." She says with a smile.

"Are you sure you can do that?"

"Oh yeah! My friend's mom owns the store. I'm like her second daughter! She won't mind when I tell her the story."

"Thanks you're amazing!" I say to her.

I quickly found the lily section and picked out a few pink and a few white lilies. As I returned to the front register, Akira stops me.

"Hey Tai, I know you can be an insensitive jackass but even you should know the flower of love is a rose." She says with a laugh.

"Yeah even I know that." I reply with a laugh. "But, Mimi will love these. I just know it!"

"Ok, if you're sure. Good luck tomorrow if I can't make it! And more importantly good luck with that other thing!" She says with a wink.

"Thanks Akira! You're a life-saver!" I say before heading back to my car.

Mimi was standing outside the car waiting for me.

"Where were you?" She asks.

"I had to go the bathroom."

"Oh Ok. What are you holding?" She asks seeing the lilies.

"Flowers." I reply trying to be a smartass.

"Haha very funny." She replies sarcastically. "You're so insensitive. Lilies are used at funerals. Are you trying to tell Matt that he's going to die soon?"

"Well for your information, they're also used at weddings and they're also a sign of purity." I say impressed with myself for remembering what Akira told me a few minutes ago.

"Wow, I didn't know that you knew so much about flowers. But, Matt and Sora aren't getting married anytime soon are they?"

"Not that I know. But anyways these are for you not Matt."

"Me?" She asks surprised.

"Yeah, you. It's a sorry for not paying at the café and also it's a welcome back gift." I say to her.

"Oh wow. Thank you soooo much! They're beautiful. They remind me of Lilymon." She says happily giving me a big smile.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like them. Now, lets go visit Matt!" I say energetically.

Mimi's reaction really energized me. Her smile was beautiful. When she smiled, I couldn't help but smile as well. It was honestly just intoxicating to be around Mimi when she was so happy.

Her happiness really seeped over to me on the way to the hospital. I was feeling giddy. Life was so amazing all of a sudden. Tomorrow, at this time I'll be preparing to play in the national high school soccer final. Mimi and I were really getting along very well. Nothing could ruin my mood.

Or rather, almost nothing could ruin my mood. Upon arriving at the hospital, Mimi and I quickly made our way to Matt's room. Little did I know that beyond the door to his room was the key to my unhappiness over the past year or so.

"Hey Tai, you want to knock or what?" Mimi asks.

"Oh yeah." I say with a goofy grin. I knock on the door and hear someone moving on the other side. Then suddenly, the door opens and I come face to face with the one person capable of ruining any happiness I had in my life. Standing in front of me was none other than Sora Takenouchi.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys, what's good? Here's the next chapter. Although, I must say now as light as this story has been so far this is the part where it is going to become a little bit tenser. It won't be too bad and I think this is the only chapter where something like this will happen. Anyways, take a look and review!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon :/ _

Chapter 4: Things Look Up

Tai's POV

God damn it. Of course Sora would be here. My stomach started doing flips. She always made me so damn nervous.

"Mimi!" Sora squeals excitedly.

And of course, she wouldn't even notice me. This was one of the reasons I had avoided hanging with the gang so much. I didn't know how to act in front of Sora and she didn't know how to act in front of me. Our encounters always led to awkward situations.

"Sora! It's been so long!" Mimi replies hugging Sora.

"I know! You have to come visit more often! It isn't easy for me to have my best friend on the other side of the planet." Sora playfully scolds Mimi.

"We can catch up later Sor, right now we have to see Matt." Mimi says suddenly serious.

"Oh yeah, he's in bed watching some T.V. right now. Come on, he'll be glad to see you." Sora says to Mimi.

At this point I just felt like a fifth wheel on a car. I mean Sora hadn't even acknowledged me. Normally, I could blame that on being excited at seeing her best friend for the first time in a while. But Sora had looked straight at me when she opened the door.

Honestly, my mood had just done a 180 degrees turnaround. I was seriously so happy just five minutes ago. Now, I just felt like shit. I was so damn confused.

How did I like her? Like seriously, she is such a bitch to me. But the fact that I was getting so upset over this meant that I still liked her.

As I followed the two girls towards Matt's bed, my head felt like it was going to explode. Mimi had been right when she said I avoided the rest of the Digidestined because of Sora. It was these types of encounters that made life difficult for me.

Mimi understood that right away. About ten minutes of talking with me and, she had already figured that out. It was shocking how well she understood me. Even when Sora and I were best friends, Sora had always had some difficulty figuring out why I did certain things the way I did them.

Mimi didn't necessarily agree with my decision to avoid everyone but at least she saw where I had been coming from.

"Oh Matt! Are you Ok?" I hear Mimi ask Matt with concern.

Damn, I wish Mimi cared that much about me. I think slightly jealously.

"Oh come on Meems. This is nothing. I could have been out of here the same day but the old geezer didn't want to 'strain' myself." Matt says ending with a smile.

Upon seeing his smile, Mimi immediately blushed.

"Oh Matt, one day your overconfidence is going to cost you." Mimi reprimands him.

"Oh come on Meems, every girl I know loves my confidence. I bet you love it too." Matt says flirtatiously.

"Oh, as if. I wonder what's bigger your ego or your bottle of hair gel." Mimi says rolling her eyes.

But when Matt said she loves his confidence, Mimi blushed even more than before. When I noticed that, I had an urge to punch Matt as hard as I could. Was I jealous of how he was able to make Mimi feel? Nah, it was probably just how good he was with girls in general. I mean it wasn't like I liked Mimi or anything. Or did I?

Trying to distract myself, I turned to look at Sora. Like Mimi, she was red in the face as well but for a different reason. As much as Mimi was probably enjoying Matt's flirty nature, I think Sora hated it just as much.

It was actually quite satisfying seeing Sora be jealous of someone being with the person she loved. It was her turn to see what it felt like.

Suddenly, she began to shake. She seemed like she was about burst a vein. I quickly turned to see what was causing this reaction from her.

When I saw what it was, I felt a similar feeling to what Sora was probably feeling. Mimi had begun to feed Matt some applesauce.

I was upset that Mimi wasn't feeding me. Sora on the other hand, was pissed that she Mimi was feeding her boyfriend. Of course, Sora couldn't say anything because if she did Matt would say something about her being an overbearing bitch. And that would lead to an argument. And then, Sora would feel bad that she fought with Matt considering his current situation.

I began to wonder how Sora was going to handle this current situation. Would she try and break up the two? Or would she pretend like she didn't care? All I know is that what she did next caught me completely off guard.

"Hey Tai, why don't we get a vase for those flowers?" She asks sweetly.

I had been holding the bouquet that Mimi had put together.

"Uh sure." I say slightly brusquely.

It had taken extreme jealousy for Sora to finally acknowledge my presence. That hurt a lot more than I wanted it to. Regardless, I accepted her offer because I wanted to get away from Mimi and Matt right now.

As we walked out of the room, Sora turned and said to me:

"Wow, these are beautiful Tai. I can't believe you picked these out all on you own." Sora tries giving me a compliment to ease the tension a little bit.

Unfortunately, for her I saw right through it.

"Oh, Mimi picked these out. She really wanted to make them perfect for Matt." I added evilly.

I wanted to push Sora's buttons. I don't know why, but knowing that she was going through what I had gone through because of her made me feel slightly better.

"Oh. Hey you're going up against Takuya Kanbara tomorrow right?" She asks trying to change the topic.

"Yup."

"So the rivalry is going to be renewed?" She asks genuinely curious.

"Tch." I snort. "It isn't much of a rivalry if I always win." I respond cockily.

"Hahaha you guys have been going at it for as long as I can remember." Sora replies reminiscently.

"What do you mean?"

"You two hated each other since the day you met. Remember when we were both at that one soccer camp? He stole my ball and you ran after him and kicked his ass."

"Yeah well, he shouldn't have stolen your ball." I laugh.

Wait, no. I shouldn't be getting along this well with Sora. She was probably just using me to get Matt angry.

"No, no he shouldn't." She laughs along with me. "Remember the first time you played against him in middle school?"

"Was that the game we both a hat trick and the game went to penalties and he missed after I made fun of his goggles?" I ask knowing very well that was the game she was referring to.

"Yup." She answers. Then she started laughing. "After that game whenever you saw him, you'd call him a square goggle faggot."

"Well, he is. I mean who the hell wears square goggles? Everyone knows round ones are the way to go. I bet you he knew it too. He only started wearing goggles after I did. The only reason he picked the square ones was because he knew everyone would say he copied me if he wore the round ones."

Damn, there I go again. I was actually enjoying talking to Sora and I kept replying. I need to end this somehow.

"You bet they would. Everyone knows he was obsessed with beating you. Somehow though, you always beat him." She says with a smile.

"You know you sound really interested about this game tomorrow. Maybe you should come watch."

"What do you mean? Of course I'm going to come watch. I hate Takuya just as much as you do. I can't miss the beat down you're going to give him!"

At this my heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, my mood was as good as it was when I first walked into the hospital. Then, it fell slightly when she spoke again.

"Besides, I have to be there for my best friend. Especially, when he's doing something as big as winning the national championship!"

Well, there it was. A small part of me had always hoped that there was a chance for us to be together. But when she called me her best friend, I think the door closed on that fantasy. For some reason though, I wasn't too cut up.

"You bet!" I say grinning.

At that moment, Mimi came by.

"Hey guys, Matt and I were wondering where you had wandered off to."

"Oh yeah, we were just catching up. Let's go back Tai." Sora answers.

"Uh yeah sure." I reply.

Upon re-entering the room, Matt turns and says:

"Tai, there's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah sure what is it?"

"Kick ass tomorrow!"

"I got you bro, don't worry." I reply cockily.

"Hey, Sora and you too Mimi. I'd really love it if you guys could keep me updated on the score tomorrow!"

"Yeah for sure Matt!" Mimi replies excitedly. "You know, we should probably get going Tai. I don't want you to stay up late tonight. We can save that for tomorrow when we're celebrating!" She says with a wink.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Good luck tomorrow Tai!" Sora says pushing us out of the door.

"Thanks!"

Once we were in the car heading home, Mimi decided to say something.

"I'm sorry Tai."

"For what?" I ask confused.

"For flirting with Matt like that."

"Uh Mimi, we aren't really going out or anything so I don't really care."

"Oh please, I saw you getting a little irritated. But the reason, I was doing that was to see what Sora would do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she was being a total bitch to you. Like she didn't even say hi or anything to you. She just ignored you. But then, when I started flirting with Matt she left the room with you. Was she using you to make Matt jealous? Or was she coming to you as a friend?"

"Oh. Yeah it was weird. She was actually being friendly and nice to me."

"Good."

"What's good?"

"She used to feel uncomfortable with you in front of Matt. She was probably afraid he'd get jealous. But when he started flirting with me, she realized that it didn't matter."

"Oh wow. Was that all a part of your plan or something?"

"Actually, it was. I was kind of mad at Sora for treating you the way she was. So, I decided to do something about it."

Realizing, Mimi's genius I felt truly indebted to her.

"Thanks Meems."

"For what?"

"For getting me my friend back."

"Oh that was nothing. But how come you were getting irritated when I was flirting with Matt?" She asks curiously.

"Oh it had nothing to do with you. I was just mad at how easily he can flirt with anyone. You know?"

"Oh yeah. I can definitely see that." She responds. But for a fraction of a second it seemed that she was a little down.

"So, Mimi. You know a lot about my personal life. What about yours? You said Michael was gay right? So are you seeing anyone else?"

"Yes, he's gay. And we never went out. And right now I guess I'm as single as you are. Although, I think after tomorrow that will change for you." She ends with a smile.

"Oh I don't know about that. But you can't seriously be single."

"Well, I really am."

"Is there anyone you like? I mean you know you can tell me right?"

"Well, there is one guy I like. But something tells me he doesn't feel the same way about me."

"Really what makes you say that?" I ask.

"Oh just something he said to me recently."

"What did he say?"

"Oh it was nothing. Really, it doesn't matter."

"If you say so. But I think you should just tell him how you feel."

"I would. But I just don't have the courage to. Which is funny because he's really courageous."

"Oh. Well, why don't you try dropping some hints for him?"

At this Mimi just began to laugh uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" I ask confused.

"Nothing. Believe me Tai, I tried dropping hints. He just doesn't seem to catch them."

"Really? I always find them really easy to pick up on. I mean girls always try and see if I like them."

Again, Mimi started laughing.

"What is so funny?" I ask getting slightly irritated.

"Nothing. Anyways, do you think you can drop me off at Yolei's house? I texted her to bring Kari over to her house after school so that I could catch up with them."

"Oh yeah for sure."

We just had some light chatter for the rest of the ride. Finally, when we got to Yolei's house Mimi said:

"Good luck tomorrow Tai! Will you score a goal for me please?"

"Tell you what Mimi, I'll score a hat trick for you tomorrow!"

She just smiles and waves to me in response.

I really began liking her. Well, more than just like. But, too bad there was someone else that she liked. That seemed to be a common theme for me and the girls I liked.

Whatever though, today was an awesome day. Spending the day with Mimi was a lot of fun. And to top things off, Sora was actually coming to my game tomorrow! Things were really looking up. Now, the only thing left to do was kick some ass tomorrow. Especially, Takuya's.

_Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I tried really hard not to make it too dark. And I really did my best to add some lightness in the second half of the chapter. How thick is Tai? Hahaha. Next chapter will be the game itself. It might also be the last chapter. I still have to decide. Leave reviews though! You might influence me one way or another._


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello everyone! It's been a few days since I updated. Sorry, if I told you I was going to update soon. I've just been ultra busy lately! I think in my last Author's Note I said this chapter would be the game and probably the last chapter. Well, I lied. This is going to for a few more chapters. My limit is 10 though. From what it looks like right now, it's only going to be 8. But with me, I guess you just never know. Anyways, before I start the chapter I have a request to make._

_Since I'm going to be wrapping this up soon, I'll be moving on to a new story. I'm going to let my readers pick what pairing though. Please check out the poll on the top of my profile. __**This is very important! **__You can choose up to two options. If you're reading this, please take 10 seconds to go do the poll before you read the story. Even if you don't normally review or anything please do this for me. If you're still reading this and haven't gone and done the poll I'm very sad and disappointed in you right now._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. (As if there was any doubt)_

Chapter 5: The Nerves

Tai's POV

As soon as I opened the door to my house, I was tackled to the ground by a big pink ball.

"Tai! You're finally home! How was school? Are you excited for the big game? Can I come and watch? Also, did you bring any food?" Koromon asks me excitedly. He was actually bouncing up and down on my chest as if I were a bed or something.

"Uh Koromon can you get off me please?" I ask as nicely as I could.

"Oh yeah sorry Tai."

"Nah, it's fine. School was awful as usual, yeah I'm super excited! I'm going to dominate tomorrow. And of course you can come bud."

I loved my partner dearly. So stuff like this never bothered me. Although, Koromon could probably take the intensity down a few notches. Staying pent up in the apartment all day probably didn't help.

"So, did you bring any food Tai?" Koromon asks pleadingly.

"No, sorry bud. Isn't there any food at home?" I ask curiously.

"There is. But uh it's your mom's." Koromon whispers to me.

"Oh no." I reply with serious trepidation.

My mom's cooking was legendary in all of Odaiba. And not in a good way. There was a time when all my friends avoided our house just so that they didn't have to test my mom's cooking.

Holding Koromon in my hands I walked over to the kitchen.

"Hey mom. I'm home." I greet her.

"Hello Tai. How was school?" She asks me.

"Oh you know. The same old stuff."

"I'm making a new recipe for you. It's for the game tomorrow. It's called vegetable lasagna. It's nice and healthy. And it'll give you tons of energy for tomorrow!" She says excitedly.

As soon as she said this, Koromon made a gagging noise that he quickly turned into a cough so not to offend my mother.

"Oh dear, is Koromon all right? He's not getting sick is he? He hardly eats anything. Tai you really have to look after him." My mom scolds.

"Oh he'll be fine. He just needs to cut down on the smoking." I joke giving him a smack.

"How many times do I have to tell you? She's sensitive about her cooking." I whisper to him.

"Sorry." He mumbles back.

"Oh and mom, you don't have to cook. Tomorrow's a big day! So you should take the night off!"

"But Tai, Kari normally cooks now. This will be the first time in weeks that she's gone. So, it's quite all right. I can do it. Besides, I want to make sure my big boy is all good to go for tomorrow!" She replies cheerfully.

I couldn't quite find a way to put this nicely to my mom. So, I gave up. Not that I was going to eat her food. I didn't want to miss the game because of food poisoning. It was simple; I just had to get Kari home.

I pulled out my phone and quickly punched out a message to Kari.

_Please come home. Mom's trying to cook. I don't want to miss the game tomorrow! -Tai_

To my relief, she responded almost immediately.

_But I'm hanging with Mimi and Yolei. I'm not coming home to cook for you. –Kari _

_Please! Bring them too. We can get carryout then! –Tai_

_Yolei can't. But Mimi and I are coming. Tell mom and your welcome. –Kari_

_I owe you! –Tai_

Thank god. I was saved. Wait; did she say Mimi was coming? Oh boy. How was this going to go? Pushing that from my mind I had to go stop my mom from poisoning us all.

"Hey mom, Kari just texted me. She's coming home and she's bringing a friend for dinner."

"Oh no! I'll have to make more!" My mom says in a panic.

"Oh no, they'll be here soon. We should probably just get carryout. There's no need to stress you mom." I say with a grin. The plan was working perfectly.

"Yeah, Mrs. Tai's mom carryout will be fine!" Koromon tries backing me up.

My mom bit her lip. She was having a huge debate with herself.

"Oh all right. But sometime this weekend, I'll make this for you." She says as if I was disappointed.

"Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to it mom!" I say happily.

After all, who wouldn't be happy knowing that Armageddon was delayed by a few days?

"Did Kari she say who she's bringing? If it's Yolei we should order Chinese. If it's Sora we should get Mexican."

"Oh come on mom. When was the last time Sora ate with us?" I joke.

"Oh Tai, she's such a nice girl. Did you two break up or something?" My mom asks seriously.

"Huh? Uh mom we never went out." I point out.

"Oh please. You two were inseparable. Your father and I thought you were just too embarrassed to tell us."

"No really mom. Besides she's going out with Matt."

"What? Wow, that's really unexpected. I always thought that-"

"Let's go with Italian." I cut my mom off knowing what she was going to say.

"Oh right. Should I call? Or do you want to?" She asks me.

"Uh you can do it." I reply.

"All right then. Go wake up your dad. He's taking a nap. Tell him he'll have to go pick up the food."

"Sure thing." I reply before walking towards my parents' room.

"Tai, that was genius!" Koromon exclaims. "How'd you come up with that?"

"Hahaha. Koromon, I wasn't lying." I answer.

"Wait, seriously? Who's Kari bringing?" He asks curiously.

"Mimi." I reply.

"Mimi! She's back?" Koromon asks.

"Yeah, she came to watch the game."

"Wow, that's so cool."

I didn't reply because I reached the door. I knocked. There was no reply. Sighing, I opened the door and walked to the bed.

"Dad wake up." I say shaking him.

"Jes fie mo mints." He mumbles incoherently.

Then, an idea struck me.

"Hey Koromon."

"Yeah Tai?"

"Go to work." I say with a grin.

"All right!" He replies with a smile.

He jumped straight out of my hands onto my dad and started jumping on his head. As if that wasn't enough he started shouting.

"Wake up Mr. Tai's dad! Wake up! Mrs. Tai's mom needs you for something!"

"All right, all right. I'm up!" My dad replies.

He wasn't too upset though. He and Koromon actually got along really well.

"Hey dad. Mom needs you to go pick some food up from a restaurant." I explain.

"Huh? I thought she was cooking tonight?" He replies.

"No. Kari is having a guest so we decided to order out." I answer.

"Oh thank God! I tried convincing her earlier but she was really set on cooking." My dad says to me in a hushed voice.

"It's cool dad. I figured you tried to save us." I reply with a grin.

"Of course I did. Before you and Kari were born, who do you think had to try all her food?" He asks reminiscing the dark days.

I simply laughed before walking out.

"Hey mom, I'm going to take a quick shower before dinner." I let her know.

"Why? You seem just fine?" She says looking at me.

"Oh, I just wanted to freshen up a bit." I reply.

"Ok. By the way, you never did tell me who Kari is bringing."

"I can't hear you." I said quickly walking away and closing the door to my room.

I was sure if I told her that Mimi was coming she would make it awkward by suggesting certain things. I really didn't want to give her extra time to think of things to say.

Now, I had to pick something to wear. Wow, I sounded like a girl. I needed something casual but something that still looked nice. I dug around in my closet until I found something.

It was a shirt Mimi sent me for my birthday this year. It was a long sleeve collarless navy blue shirt. I looked at the tag. It read H&M. With a pair of shorts, it would look great. And Mimi would be happy that I was wearing the shirt that she sent me.

Grabbing the clothes, I ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower. After dressing, I ran back to my room and found my bottle of my favorite cologne, Aqua di Gio by Armani.

I honestly wasn't sure why I was so excited. I mean it was just Mimi. And yet, I felt this urge to impress her. At the same time though, I didn't want to make it look like I was trying too hard. Otherwise, my mom might catch on.

I left my room, hoping that Mimi wasn't here yet. If she was it might look like I got ready for her. That was true, but I didn't want anyone to know that.

Luckily for me, she hadn't arrived yet. So, I joined Koromon on the sofa and began to watch T.V.

Koromon was watching the Food Network. That was so typical of him. All he ever thought about was food. He still hadn't noticed me sit down next to him. He was engrossed in the show.

Now, I was curious. What could be so interesting? Ah, they were grilling mini steak strips to make a fajita. I turned to look at his reaction and I began to laugh.

Koromon was staring at the screen with his mouth open. He was literally drooling over it. He must have been extra hungry today. When he heard my mom was cooking, he must've had a heart attack.

"You know, I can make those for you sometime Koromon." I hear a voice behind me.

Koromon and I jumped before turning to see Mimi standing behind us smiling.

"Mimi! Can you really? Those look so good!" Koromon says excitedly.

"Mmmhm." Mimi replies nodding her head.

"Hey Meems." I say.

"Hello Tai, long time no see." She replies with a wink.

"Hahaha yeah." I say rubbing the back of my head. I really hoped no one had heard that.

"Mmmm, something smells really good." She says out of nowhere.

"Uh Mimi, the food isn't here yet." I tell her confused.

"No, it isn't food. It's something else. Are you wearing cologne?"

"Uh yeah."

"Oh, are you going somewhere?"

"No."

"Why are you wearing cologne then?" She asks curiously.

"I don't know. I just am." I say a little defensively.

"Oh all right." She says with a weird smile.

"What?"

"That shirt."

"What about my shirt?"

"It's the one I sent you." Mimi says her smile growing bigger by the second.

"I know. I told you I liked it." I reply.

"I'm glad you like it." She says happily before walking away.

"Yeah Tai, why are you wearing that spray thing? You only wear it when you leave the house or if Sora comes over." Koromon asks bluntly.

"Can it." I say before giving him a friendly whack.

"Hey Tai, can you give dad and I a hand please?" I hear Kari call from the door.

"Sure." I reply.

As I walked to the front door I took some of the bags Kari was holding out of her hands.

"Thanks, Kari. You definitely saved me today." I say to her gratefully.

"Yeah whatever." Kari says sticking her tongue out at me. "Just promise me that you'll do me a favor."

"Sure, what is it?" I ask.

"Mimi's spending the night. So, can you please take the couch?" Kari asks me.

"Wait, what? Isn't she staying with Yolei?"

"No, that fell through because Yolei's aunt came unexpectedly."

"All right, whatever. She can take my bed." I reply.

"Awesome."

After helping my dad bring in the rest of the food, we all finally settled down for dinner. We had quite a full table today. My parents, Kari, Mimi, Gatomon, Koromon, and I really had to squeeze together.

For a few minutes, the only sounds were those of us chewing or the small noises of silverware being raised or put down. Finally, my mom broke the silence.

"Tai, who are you playing tomorrow?" She asks.

"Takuya." Kari answers for me.

"Takuya? Well then, this is quite the rivalry game." My dad points out.

"Not much of a rivalry if I always win." I reply cockily.

"Don't be overconfident Tai." My mom warns.

"Tai, overconfident? Come on, Mrs. Kamiya." Mimi says sarcastically.

Everyone at the table laughs. This brought the focus to Mimi.

"So, Mimi. How's America treating you?" My mom asks curiously.

"It's awesome! I do miss Odaiba a lot though." She replies honestly.

"Oh well, that's only natural. It is your home after all." My mom says to her.

"Yeah, I don't think anything can replace Odaiba." Mimi answers.

"So, how is American social life different than here?" My mom continues.

"Oh well, there's so many I don't even know where to begin." Mimi says with a laugh.

"Well, how about boys?" My mom suggests.

And here was where it was all going to hell. Of course, my mom would have to bring this up.

Mimi took a quick glance at me before answering. A glance that didn't go unnoticed by mom I must add.

"Well there are plenty of them. But none of them really caught my eye." Mimi answers.

"Oh really? I heard American boys are really cute." The teenage girl in my mom continues.

"Yeah what about Michael?" Kari asks.

"Oh, I don't know. He's just not my type. And besides, I'm probably a little young to be thinking about dating right now. I have school to focus on you know." Mimi tries ending.

"Oh, nonsense. You're old enough to date. Sora and Matt have been going out for what a couple of years now. Right Tai?" My mom tries adding me into the conversation.

"Uh yeah, I think so." I quickly reply.

"You know, we think Tai might be gay. I mean he's never once shown interest in any girl." My dad jokes.

"Really? That is so funny! Sora said the exact same thing to me a few days ago." Mimi says with a laugh.

"Yeah, we're all just waiting for him to come out of the closet." My mom says with a smile.

"The floor is all yours big brother." Kari says with a wink.

By this time, I was really red.

"I'm not gay!" I reply.

"Well then, how about you give us a name of the girl you like?" My mom suggests putting me on the spot.

Now, I was really in a jam. I couldn't tell them that I liked Mimi especially with her sitting right across the table from me. I had no idea how to get out of this one. Luckily, I didn't have to. Koromon unknowingly bailed me out.

"Excuse me, but what's gay?" He asks innocently.

Everyone started to laugh at his naïveté.

"I'll explain it to you tomorrow after work." My dad promises.

"All right." Koromon replies.

The rest of dinner passed with light chatter. I was surprised at how well Koromon restrained himself in terms of eating. There was plenty leftover. I was really full though.

After dinner we all went over to the living room and started playing Scrabble. The game was actually pushed out of my mind until Koromon brought it up.

"So, Tai. Are you nervous?" He asks me.

"Not until you reminded me." I say seriously.

I had been in plenty of big games before. So, I wasn't so nervous now as I was for some of the big games earlier in my career. Experience was a major plus for me.

"I'd be really nervous, if I were you." Kari says. "You've worked your whole life trying to be the best soccer player ever. Winning tomorrow would be a huge accomplishment." She continues.

Now the pressure mounted a little bit. Why did she have to remind me about that?

"Not to mention this is going to be your last high school game." My mom adds. "There's no second chance after this one. This is the last thing people are going to remember about your high school career."

Ok now the pressure was definitely much higher than before. I really didn't like this at all.

"Also, the back of your jersey has Kamiya on it. Kamiyas don't lose all right?" My dad puts in his two cents.

Now, I was officially nervous. I hadn't thought about any of that stuff. But the dagger was what Mimi said.

"Tai, don't you dare lose. I came all the way from America to see you play. If I find out I wasted tons of money just to see you lose, I'll be very mad." She warns.

Ok, now I was piss my pants nervous. God damn it. Why did they all have to bring that up?

At this point, Koromon let out a yawn that put my mom into mom mode.

"Bed, all of you. Tomorrow's a big day. I want all of you to get your rest."

"Mom, I don't even have to go to school tomorrow." I try arguing.

It was true. The soccer team had the day off tomorrow. That was really nice, how could anyone possibly focus on class when the game was that day?

"Tai, you need more sleep than anyone else. You need to be well rested for the game tomorrow. No buts."

"Fine."

"Grab what you need from your room Tai." Kari says.

"Aite."

I grabbed everything I needed and brushed my teeth before laying down on the couch. My mom had left a blanket and a pillow for me. Koromon was sleeping with Mimi because there wasn't enough room on the couch for both of us.

I was kind of jealous. He got to lay down on a bed and more importantly on a bed with Mimi. Life just wasn't fair sometimes.

I tried going to sleep. But there was no way I could. My mind was just buzzing with thoughts about the game tomorrow. There were butterflies in my stomach already just thinking about the game.

Unfortunately, the last things my family and Mimi said to me were resonating in my head very loudly. What if I screwed up?

I'd embarrass my family for one. Then, all the time I spent playing soccer would've been a waste. My high school legacy would be ruined. And to top things off, Mimi would be mad at me.

In all honesty, the last idea was the one that scared me the most. I didn't want her to be mad at me. All of these thoughts put me on edge though. And that was no way to play. I had to be relaxed and yet, I couldn't even sleep.

Now, I was really trying to force myself to sleep. But I couldn't. I felt really hot and I was sweating a ton. I threw the blanket off but now I felt cold and I could feel the sweat become icy. I was really uncomfortable.

In the end, I decided to get some water. Maybe that could help. I walked over to the kitchen and got a glass out of the cabinet. It was actually pretty hard to do in the dark. I filled it with water and sat down at the table. To my surprise, someone else walked into the kitchen.

"Tai, what are you doing up so late?" Mimi asks me.

"I was getting some water. What are you doing up?" I ask her.

"Same."

After getting water she came and sat down at the table with me.

"It sucks waking up for water doesn't it?" She asks me.

"Yeah, but tonight I just couldn't sleep." I reply.

"Why not?" Mimi asks concerned.

"I don't know I'm just really nervous about tomorrow I guess."

"You'll be fine. You're the best soccer player I know." She says seriously.

"Yeah but, all that stuff everyone said during Scrabble kind of put me on edge." I reply truthfully.

"Oh Tai, we were just messing with you. We didn't mean to make you nervous." She says guiltily.

"I know, it's just that I hadn't even thought about any of that stuff until then."

"Tai, you'll be just fine. But right now, you need to get some sleep. Come on." She says grabbing my hand and dragging me to the couch. She actually went as far as to tuck me in.

But it was still no use. I just couldn't sleep. Luckily though, Mimi stuck with me. Soon, she started talking to me about our first adventure in the Digital World. That was really nice. We spent some time reminiscing about our time there and some of our friends who we didn't always get to see.

Soon, I started to drift away into sleep. I actually had a dream about going back to the Digital World and meeting all the friends we had just talked about.

I don't know if I was dreaming but I did think that someone had kissed my forehead. I hoped it wasn't just a part of the dream. But I couldn't be sure.

_Well, what'd you think? Leave a review! __**More importantly, answer the poll if you haven't already!**_

_And a quick shout out to . I know I promised a Friday update but I was just too tired to write the 2__nd__ half of the chapter. I'm sorry! Please accept my apology!_


	6. Chapter 6

_So, it's been almost two months since I've updated. I'm sorry! I don't even have a good excuse for not updating. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

Chapter 6: The Game

Tai's POV

I woke up when; light started shining through the window and began to hit me in the face. Reluctantly I opened my eyes only to immediately shut them because of how bright it was.

I rubbed my eyes and slowly opened them so that they could better adjust to the light. I took a look at my Digivice for the time and saw that it was 10:30.

Damn, I had slept a lot. I quickly grabbed the clothes I had taken from my room last night and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. A hot shower was just what I needed to loosen up my muscles after sleeping on the couch. My neck was especially stiff, and was in need of some icy hot.

After I came out of the shower, I made my way to the kitchen where Mimi was sitting at the table.

"Oh you're finally out." She says.

"Excellent observation Sherlock." I reply a little grumpily.

I wasn't mad at her or anything, I just wasn't a morning person.

"You know who Sherlock Holmes is? I honestly didn't know you knew how to read." Mimi retorts sticking her tongue out.

"Where is everyone?" I ask while stifling a yawn.

"Well your dad is at work, and Kari is at school. Your mom and Koromon went to the store to get snacks for the game. By the way what time is your game at?"

"7:00 I have to be there at 5:30 though."

"It's only 11:00 right now." She remarks.

"Yeah I know."

"What are you going to do until then?"

"I'm not sure. Probably grab something to eat and then take a nap." I reply after thinking for a few seconds.

"Are you serious? You're going to sleep again?" Mimi asks incredulously.

"Yeah why not? It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Why don't you spend some time with me?" She asks.

"Mimi, if I go shopping with you I'll be exhausted for the game. Actually, I probably won't even make it to the game because you won't leave until the mall closes at 9:00."

"I didn't mean shopping. I do things other than just shop." She replies defensively.

"Oh really now? Tell me what else do you do other than shopping?" I ask curiously.

"Let me just show you." She replies.

It was now 6:00 and I was sitting in the locker room listening to my coach give the team some final remarks about our game plan. Some of the younger guys especially freshman including Ken were listening intently.

Then, there was Davis who honestly seemed like he was going to explode. For him, 7:00 couldn't come fast enough. I was kind of jealous of him. I had worked my ass off the past 3 years to get to this game and here he was reaching it in his very first year.

It really worked to his advantage. Being so young and inexperienced meant that he didn't know what it was like to fail. That really took a lot of pressure off of him.

I had the burden of 3 years worth of failure on my shoulders during this game. He didn't, and what's more he would have 3 more chances after this.

Looking around at everyone else, I could tell most of the others were just as nervous as I was. They were doing an awful job of hiding it too. There were a few who were pacing around and others were just sitting in their chairs looking like they were about to throw up.

"Tai, want to come up and say something?" My coach suddenly asks.

Although, I really didn't want to, being a team captain, it was probably a good idea to help calm some of my anxious teammates down.

"Sure coach. Can you guys believe it? We're in the national championship game." I start with a grin. "The important thing to remember though, is that regardless of what is at stake it is just a soccer game. I don't know about you, but I sure love to play this game. Let the other team worry about the title and all the rest of that shit. As far as I'm concerned I'm just here to win a soccer game. We've won 16 games up until now. Let's make it 17 and we can do that by giving our hearts for 90 minutes. Anything else worth worrying about can wait for 90 minutes. So, let's just go out there and kick some ass." I finish re-taking my seat.

Then, I slowly started getting ready for the game. I taped both my calves before putting on my jersey and socks. Then, came my trusty cleats. Once they were on and tied, I truly felt ready. Finally, I put on my captain's armband. It was time.

We lined up in the tunnel, next to our opponents. As the captain, I stood at the back of the line next to the other captain, Takuya.

I was so ready to kick his ass that it wasn't even funny. He and I looked each other in the eye and it was obvious how much we loathed each other. We were rivals and bitter ones at that. This was our last chance to prove we were better than the other and there was no way I wasn't going to take advantage of this final opportunity.

Suddenly, the line began to move and I followed out on to the field to the roar of thousands of fans. I took a quick look into the stands, and I quickly found my family and the rest of the Digidestined. I saw Kari wave to me, and next to her was Mimi and Yolei, but where was Sora? I saw Joe, Izzy, T.K. and Cody along with all our Digimon, but Sora was nowhere to be seen. Had she decided to stay with Matt?

I started experiencing a sinking feeling. What did Matt have that I didn't? Why was I worth shit to Sora? She had made a promise and now she wasn't here. I didn't even have the heart to be mad at her. I was just disappointed, completely deflated.

"Captains, shake hands." I hear a referee say.

Takuya came and tried crushing my hand. For once, I didn't even bother trying to return the favor.

"What's the matter? Already know that you're going to lose?" He taunts.

Again, I didn't even respond. I just slowly walked away to the team circle. Halfheartedly, I raised my hand when Davis started the break.

"Win on three. 1, 2, 3."

"**WIN**"

We took the field and got to our spots. Takuya's team started with the ball since we were the higher seed. Takuya took the ball and tried breaking off for a long scoring run. He was immediately stopped by one of our defenders, and we got the ball.

Ken took a pass and started dribbling up field. He was met by two defenders and quickly dropped the ball back to midfield. We kept passing until Ken got the ball wide right at around the 18. He hit a perfect cross for me, but for some reason I didn't move.

"Tai! Get the cross!" I hear Davis yell.

Suddenly, I start to move but it was no use. I was way too late to get there and a defender beat me and cleared it.

"Tai, pay more attention!" Davis scolds me angrily.

I just nod my head. How could I pay attention when my closest friend had just stabbed me in the back? Sora had betrayed me again. What did any of this matter? It was just a stupid game.

Despite a good counter attack, our defense held firm and was able to clear the ball up ahead to Davis. Davis dodged one of the defenders and laid a pass out ahead to me.

This time, I easily outran the defender and got to the ball. I took a touch and began to move to the outside just as I would do when Sora guarded me when we were kids. Suddenly, her face flashed in front of me, but she was with Matt. The next thing I knew I had an awful touch on the ball and I lost it. The defender quickly dropped it to the goalie who, decided to boot it all the way down the field.

"COME ON KAMIYA!" I could hear my coach furious. I quickly sprinted to midfield to try and make up for my mistake by winning the ball.

There I met Takuya who had a very smug look on his face.

"I always knew you sucked, Kamiya. But come on, an 8 year old can handle the ball better than that." He tries getting into my head.

I was about to fire back, but I saw the ball fly overhead and immediately Takuya took off. Even though he wasn't my responsibility I took off after him, but I was too late. His head start was enough of a lead and I could only watch helplessly as he beat the defender and took a shot on goal. With a pang I saw it go into the corner just above the keeper's reach and just like that we were down 0-1.

Fuck! Things just got a lot harder and that's what she said. I thought sarcastically. Despite, my desire to win this game my body and my mind were just not responding. Something was holding me back and I knew exactly what it was.

My mind was not focused on this game. It was focused on getting screwed over by Sora. That whole negativity was bringing my whole game down.

The worst part was that the whole game seemed to slow down, and not in a good way. If anything, it made things much more frustrating because I could see exactly what I wanted to do, only to realize that I couldn't. I just wasn't myself and it was painfully obvious.

Nothing seemed to be able to jar me into game mode. Not even when the other team scored again in 35th minute. We were now down 0-2 and were getting thoroughly outplayed.

The only two players on our team who didn't seem to be as deflated as me were Davis and Ken, but 2 vs. 11 wasn't exactly the greatest of odds.

The other forward on our team Ryo had the ball just outside their 18, but proceeded to get stripped. The ball went out wide to Takuya who began to take off.

By then I had had enough. I had to give Ken and Davis something, I couldn't just continue like this. I sprinted as hard as I could at Takuya and slide tackled him from behind immediately drawing a yellow.

I had initially meant to get the ball cleanly, but something changed and I decided to take out all my frustration on him. I could see that on the sideline my coach was debating benching me. Luckily for me, Davis talked him out of it.

Following a quick defensive stand Ken was able to get the ball and he took it all the way up to the other 18 before dropping a beauty to Davis who had been cutting in. Davis took a touch and was able to fire a laser at just outside the 6.

We were finally on the board, and the whole team's relief was noticeable. Just as play resumed though, it was halftime.

Going into the locker room down 1-2 wasn't ideal, but it was better than 0-2. To me, it didn't really matter. I had already quit on the game. As soon as I reached the locker room, my coach began his tirade at me.

Even then, I didn't really listen. In fact, I was tuning him out. Then, the most unexpected thing ever happened. Mimi had come into our locker room.

She walked straight over to me and slapped me in the face.

"TAI PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS AND START CARING! Who gives a fuck whether Sora is here or not? Are you going to let her control your life? Get over her, and start taking care of the things that you can do something about. Like winning this game. You're embarrassing yourself and even more importantly as your friend you're embarrassing me! So get yourself together and go beat Takuya's ass into the ground! Ken and Davis, good first half! But I have to run. I'll catch you with the trophy guys." She says with a wink before running off.

For a few seconds, I stood motionless in total awe as to what happened. Then, I broke into the widest and goofiest grin of my life. My competitive fire was back. Mimi's presence was simply intoxicating to me and there was no way I could stay unhappy while around her.

_I hope that made up for the long delay! As for the time skip, if I can get 10 quality reviews within a week I'll post a one-shot describing what Mimi and Tai did all day. If I don't get those 10 reviews in a week, I'll wait until I hit 20 more reviews so once the story reaches 51 reviews I'll post it. Anyways, hit up my poll and review please!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The One

_Tai's POV_

All my energy and passion was back after getting bitched by Mimi, so when I returned to the field out of the tunnel I exploded.

As soon as Davis passed me the ball after the kickoff, I took off. Sora be damned, I was taking this one all the way myself.

I trapped the ball off Davis' pass, and tapped it to my right with the outside of my foot. I took a quick scan of the field and found the seam I needed.

I counted down in my mind. 3…2…1… GO!

I must have been a blur to all the spectators, but to me everything was moving in slow motion.

The first defender I met just couldn't keep up with me. The next one actually fell down on my stepover. I couldn't help, but have wide grin on my face after that. The last defender before the keeper was stupid enough to try and win the ball. I just spun out of his way, and then it was just the keeper and I.

He tried watching which way I was going to shoot. I looked to the left side of the goal, and ripped the shot into the upper 90 of the right side. He looked like a fool, diving to the left, but damn it felt good.

I took a look up at the scoreboard, and saw that it was now tied 2-2, and perhaps the most impressive part of the whole thing was that it took me just 17 seconds after the half to score.

"ATTA BOY TAI!" Davis shouted to me, while Ken ran up to me and gave me a high five.

As a team, we could do no wrong after that goal. The defense shut down Takuya, and in the 57th minute, I scored again making it 3-2.

There were 2 of the 3 goals I promised Mimi last night. Perhaps even more satisfying was the absolutely livid look on Takuya's face.

Unfortunately, his team's frustration resulted in some incredibly physical play and in the 72nd; Ken was knocked out of the game.

Ken was a huge loss because he played center-mid, which was arguably the most important position on the team.

"Kamiya move to center-mid!" I heard my coach shout at me from the bench.

I nodded my head, and proceeded to play my old position. Unfortunately, the rest of the team became deflated with Ken out, and then Takuya slipped past our defense and chipped in a shot.

It was now tied 3-3, and I looked up at the time left. There were about 5 minutes left before stoppage time.

My coach then motioned to me to guard Takuya. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt that it was poetic justice that we were going to guard each other in the last few minutes of the culmination of life-long rivalry.

But I actually didn't even pay it that much attention. My only focus was on one thing. Winning this game.

It was evident that no player on either team had much left in the tank. After dinking around with possession for a little bit, we lost the ball to Takuya. I took a look at the clock and there was around 30 seconds before stoppage time.

I absolutely refused to let this game end in regulation. Takuya simply held the ball until the ref flashed that there was only to be 1 minute of stoppage time. His whole team including their keeper moved forward on to our side of the half.

I simply decided that no matter what I wasn't going to let Takuya get off a good shot. I was going to play to contain him, in the hopes that he'd pass. Every move he tried I simply kept in between him and the goal.

Finally with about 15 seconds left he decided to take his shot from just inside the half, and I was able to graze it with my toe. It was an incredible shot, and one that would have gone in had I not gotten the slightest of piece of it.

Luckily, I got just enough of it, so that my keeper could get a hold of it.

On instinct alone, I took off, and my keeper had enough sense to throw me it rather than just sit on it and wait for OT. I had to slow down a bit to trap the ball, which gave Takuya enough time to catch up to me and get in between the goal and me.

I had probably two touches from there before I had to fire a shot. They were the two longest touches of my life. With the way Takuya was guarding me I could only shoot at the left side of the goal.

As I looked towards the goal, my eyes moved over the stands, where my family and friends were watching. And it was there I saw none other than Sora Takenouchi watching intently with wide eyes as to what I was about to do.

But rather than fix my eyes on her, my eyes moved over to the person next to her. Mimi Tachikawa. The rest was as if my body was moving without me realizing it. My foot struck the ball and with a second before the game ended hit the back of the net in the upper 90's of the left side!

I didn't see that my shot went in though, because my eyes did not move from Mimi Tachikawa. I just knew from the reaction of my number one fan.

I just saw her screaming with joy, and it was the last thing I saw before my whole team who tackled and mobbed me overwhelmed me.

The rest was just a blur. As the captain, I was handed the trophy and I noticed that there was confetti falling everywhere. I then noticed the rest of the Digidestined and my family were on the field.

They were keeping some distance from my celebrating teammates. Smiling wide, I walked towards them with the trophy in hand.

Sora came to the front excitedly.

"Oh my god Tai! That shot was amazing! I've never seen you play a better half of soccer ever in my life!" I heard her say, but I just walked right past her to Mimi who was standing next to Kari.

She was holding Koromon, but dropped the poor guy because I just walked up and kissed her.

And she kissed back.

_I'm sorry for the wait! I hope it was well worth it though! More than anything I just needed to play a soccer game that was able to give me the blueprint of how I wanted to finish this game! I have to ask you all though, do I end it here? Or do you guys want one more chapter? Tell me in the reviews please! Because depending on what you say, I will or will not add another chapter! Also, I swear that I will update a helluva lot faster!_

_However, if this is the end then I must say a few things. This would be the first multi-chapter fic I've completed. So I really need to thank all my readers, but more so my reviewers, especially the really loyal ones! You guys are the best! Also, FireFairy219 I love you sis! I want everyone to know that she really helped me write this fic in the beginning, as with almost all my Digimon fics! Her advice was instrumental! And she really is a fantastic mentor to me and also a fantastic person! Thank you! And let me know if I should add one more chapter! Oh and as always __**REVIEW! **_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: He's Not Actually…

_Tai's POV_

I wanted this kiss to last forever. Unfortunately, the need for oxygen overcame both Mimi and I, and we had to cut it short.

When it was over, I just gave her a sheepish grin. And she returned it with the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

"OH MY GOD! HE'S NOT GAY! YOU GUYS, HE'S NOT GAY!" Koromon shouts to everyone, bouncing up and down.

Everyone started laughing.

"Yeah, but he could still use a few tips." I hear a voice, which sounded like Matt's.

I turn to see him limping his way over towards me.

"Matt? What are you doing here?" I ask incredulously.

"You didn't think I'd actually miss my best friend's game did you?"

"But you're supposed to be in the hospital!"

"Yeah, but I wasn't going to let Sora stay there with me."

"What do you mean?" I ask confused.

"It would kill her to not be here, you know?"

And suddenly it all clicked into place.

"Sora." I whisper remembering that it was her fault that I played like shit in the first half. She hadn't been there.

"Yeah, sorry we were a bit late! But she had to help me sneak out of the hospital. My coming was her idea."

Through it all, she did care. She actually still cared. Enough so that she brought Matt, knowing that it would cheer me up.

"Sora!" I say aloud breaking out into a huge grin, turning around looking for her.

But she was nowhere to be found.

"Where is she?" I ask.

Everyone started turning around, looking.

"That's weird. She was here just a second ago." T.K. says.

"Yeah she must have run to the bathroom or something." Yolei suggests.

I turned to Mimi and said:

"Can you give me a minute?" I ask taking her hand.

"Of course." She replies again with that lovely smile.

I run knowing the one place, Sora would always go when something was bothering her.

Sure enough, I found her underneath the stands. After every tough loss, this would be her hiding place. In fact, I was pretty sure I was the only one who knew about this.

"Sora." I say gently reaching to pat her shoulder.

"Tai!" She jumps, quickly wiping her eyes.

"Sora, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Tai, congratulations! You did it!" She says with a smile.

There was something off about her smile though. It just seemed forced somehow.

"Sora, what's wrong?" I repeat.

"Nothing's wrong Tai." She answers with a hint of annoyance.

"Sora, you know better than to lie to me of all people."

"Tai nothing's wrong, why don't you go celebrate with everyone else?" She retorts, her face turning red in anger.

"Sora, if this about me not saying anything to you right after the game, I'm sorry!"

"It has nothing to do with that, so why don't you just get lost?" She spat scathingly, turning her back on me.

"Sora! What did I do wrong?" I respond angrily.

"Nothing Tai. You did nothing wrong."

Sora, come on. Just tell me." I tell her, putting my hand on her shoulder and turning her towards me.

"Mimi," She whispers. "How could you Tai?" She asks before breaking down into tears.

"This is about Mimi?" I ask confused.

"You kissed her!"

"Yeah, so?"

"Tai, you are so stupid!" She cries.

"Are you jealous?" I ask incredulously.

"Figure that out on your own Sherlock?"

"You have no right to be jealous! You've been with Matt this whole time!"

"Mimi is my best friend!"

"Matt's my best friend!"

At this point, she bit her lip.

"I know. But I really like him."

"And I really like her."

"Tai, we-"

"Had our chance-"

"But we blew it," Sora finishes. "I'm sorry. It's just seeing you kiss her, I wasn't expecting. I wasn't ready for it, I guess. "

"It's ok. And Sora, I'm sorry."

"No Tai, don't be. I'm the one who was being stupid."

"No you weren't. You did exactly what I would have done, if I saw you and Matt kiss."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she nodded.

"We should probably go back and celebrate now huh?" She says with a small laugh.

"Now we're talking!"

"Oh and Tai, I lied."

"Me too."

"You're my best friend." We both say at the same time, before embracing.

Oddly, when I let her go I didn't feel any sort of regret or sadness. I felt as if a weight was lifted. We had both finally gotten our closure. And who knew? Maybe someday things would be different and we could be more than friends?

But for right now, she had Matt. And I had Mimi I thought with a grin.

And speaking of the angel, she came and welcomed me back to the party personally.

With a kiss… And a bit more!

_Ok I hoped you guys enjoyed this! And got the closure to the story, like you all wanted! I'm sorry this was so focused on Tai and Sora in the last chapter, but honestly every Michi fic is built around a fallen Taiora, and Sorato. I want to thank all my readers, and more importantly my reviewers! You guys are amazing, and were my true inspiration for writing this story! If I can just ask all of you to one more time, please leave me a review! It would be much appreciated! Also, be sure to check out some of my other fics, and one-shots while I figure out what exactly I'm going to make my next project!_


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